Zucchini-Cranberry Bread

It's been a very long couple of weeks, and my time in the kitchen has been minimal to say the least. I've missed cooking and baking more than is probably considered sane or normal, but hey...it's kind of "my thing", ya know? :) So, this weekend I finally had a chance to re-familiarize myself with my lonely kitchen, and boy-oh-boy did I give it a good workout!! 

I've never made any type of bread-loaf before, so I decided to try my hand at a variation of zucchini bread that I found on the Food Network website. I was a little nervous because I wasn't even sure that I would like a bread that contained any vegetable - even though I do love zucchini. But alas, my worries were unnecessary - it turned out fantastic!! Sweet, but not too sweet and I really couldn't even taste the zucchini. 

Just look at the pretty loaf!

Zucchini-Cranberry Bread

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup walnuts (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (I used cream cheese)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed dry

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter one 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or three 6-by-3-inch mini pans.
2. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add the dried cranberries and walnuts.
3. Whisk the eggs, melted butter, yogurt, vanilla and orange zest (if using) in a medium bowl. Stir in the shredded zucchini. Fold the zucchini mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.
4. Spread the batter in the prepared pan(s). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes for a standard loaf or 35 to 40 minutes for mini loaves. Cool 30 minutes in the pan(s) on a rack, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.